


Night Terrors

by dot823



Series: Nightmares [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Nightmares, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 14:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18896116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dot823/pseuds/dot823
Summary: All the survivors from the simulation are having nightmares, struggling every night as they wait for their classmates to wake up. On one particular night, Fuyuhiko's nightmare involves Peko disappearing, for good.





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I haven't been posting much, I've been super busy with con crunch and haven't had much of a chance to write. This sister fic to Nightmares has been in the works for a while now, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Not even a full day had passed. Naegi and his friends left the island, leaving the five survivors on their own on an otherwise abandoned island with their ten technically dead friends who may, eventually, awaken from their comatose states, and something had already gone wrong. Once it was just the five, they spent the rest of the day in a group, talking about how they had to keep believing their friends would wake up. Eventually, they would all wake up. They would work together, and overcome what they had done to the world, and they would become better people. They had to believe that, and they tried their hardest. Beliefs weren’t enough to fix the trauma, though, and it became clear that they weren’t about to escape their past.

The group chose to each claim a cabin of their own, all grouped together at the very end of what had been the girls’ side during the simulation. Nobody wanted to keep their old room, and though none of them would admit it, they didn’t really want to be too far from the others, either. The fear that something could happen, even though none of them had any clue what that something might be, left them on edge. Fuyuhiko chose Peko’s old room, just in case she wanted it back if(no, not if, but  _ when _ ) she woke up.

After a long day, eventually they chose to attempt to sleep. It wasn’t easy, in Fuyuhiko’s case; tossing and turning as he thought of his sister and Peko. Peko was on the island too, he knew it, and he did believe she would eventually wake up, but it was hard to forget all the time he spent mourning her. Relearning everything would take him time, especially because despite the fact that she may not technically be dead...she wasn’t there. She wasn’t with him. Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep, only to be woken up while the moon was still out.

Akane had screamed at the top of her lungs, loud enough that her voice echoed through all the closest dorms. The other four survivors rose from their beds and ran to her room, opening the unlocked door to find her sitting in her bed with her knees hugged to her chest. There were tears rolling down her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy and full of fear. Sonia slowly approached her, wrapping her friend in a hug and allowing Akane to cry on her shoulder. The girl was shaking, sobbing and unable to speak for a good few minutes as her friend soothed her fears. Only when she sat up on her own and wiped the tears from her eyes did she explain it. 

Apparently, it had been a nightmare about Nekomaru’s death, The events had been twisted in her mind until it was her in Gundham’s place, and she’d killed him simply for the pleasure and pain that came with killing somebody you care about dearly. Just talking about it almost caused her to burst into tears again, the only thing keeping her grounded was Sonia’s hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles into it. 

She wasn’t the only one to have nightmares like that, either. From that night onward, it wasn’t entirely rare for somebody to scream in the middle of the night, or wake up a friend and ask for comfort. Usually they would go to the same person, which left Fuyuhiko alone on those nights. He didn’t mind it too much, really the only time he did mind was when he was having nightmares of his own and he wasn’t sure if Hajime or Souda were free to let him talk it out. 

Sometimes his nightmares had to do with Natsumi, or his family. Sometimes it was just Peko, and his entire clan was involved. They reminded him of being at Hope’s Peak, and of falling in despair, all the terrible things he had done, but none of those nightmares hurt him as much as the ones that started out happy.

That night, his dream started with laughter. He couldn’t remember what Peko had said, but it was funny enough to get them both laughing. The scary look he’d grown so used to seeing her wear, the emotionless mask she’d been forced to put on for most of their lives, was finally gone. Her eyes lit up, the smile on her face genuine as the laughter that hung in the air even as they went quiet, and he couldn’t help but to stare for a moment. There had never been a doubt in his mind that Peko was beautiful, but seeing her like that, seeing her look and act like a  _ person… _

“I’m so proud of you, Peko,” he whispered, “I’m so happy, you’re doing so well.”

She watched him for a moment, eyes soft(softer than they had been in a long time, as soft as he could ever imagine them being), staying quiet as though she didn’t want to break the moment. And then she did.

“Thank you, Young Master,” she said, voice monotonous as she’d been trained to keep it.

Fuyuhiko’s brows furrowed, mouth opening and closing twice as he tried to speak but couldn’t find the words. Whatever she was doing, it wasn’t a funny joke. Calling him  _ that _ title, speaking in that voice, it wasn’t even remotely funny. 

“I knew I made the right decision,” she continued, eyes still warm despite the tone in her voice, “when I acted out your wish to kill her.” 

“No, no, Peko--” Fuyuhiko cut himself off, putting a hand on her arm as he started again, “That isn’t what I meant, I...I didn’t want that, I didn’t want you to do that.”

Peko tilted her head to the side, and Fuyuhiko watched the the warmth in her eyes died down until they were the same emotionless red eyes that scared him when they were lost in the mountains.

“You wished for her to pay and as your tool, I made sure she did. What would you have preferred, Young Master?” she asked as Fuyuhiko reached out with his other hand, holding her by her shoulders as he watched the beautiful, happy girl that was just in front of him die in a moment, leaving behind the husk. 

He looked down, squeezing his eye shut to stop the tears from falling, “I didn’t want a tool, Peko. I  _ never _ wanted a tool…” 

Again, there was silence. He refused to look up, afraid of what he’d see if he looked in her eyes again. Afraid that he’d see despair. Eventually, she did reply, her voice soft, quieter than before.

“It is alright, Young Master. Your tool is gone now, anyway.” 

Then, it was light she disappeared. He had his arms reaching out in front of him, hands grasping at nothing. He finally looked up, realizing she was gone. He couldn’t help but think it was his words, if he’d been more careful about what he had said, maybe she wouldn’t have disappeared. At that moment, when he found himself all alone, he woke up.

* * *

 

It wasn’t until he had been awake for a few minutes that he was able to convince himself that the dream meant nothing. He had to convince himself it wasn’t his fault that she had disappeared in the dream, just like how he’d been trying(and failing) to convince himself it wasn’t his fault she’d died in the game. The dream was a little different, though. He already knew it wasn’t reality, he could easily prove to himself that she wasn’t  _ really _ gone. She was there, just...not awake quite yet.

He didn’t want to bother Hajime or Souda, he decided. It would be better to just go on his own, so he could stay as long as he wanted. Besides, they might try to convince him that seeing her in that state wouldn’t be good for him. They didn’t understand that not seeing her at all was just as bad, if not worse. 

So Fuyuhiko slipped his shoes on and slid out of his cabin in the darkness of night, the light of the moon guiding him to the building where those who had died were sleeping. Down the hall he went, and when he entered the room he didn’t have to look in the pods to know exactly which one was holding Peko. A chair waited beside it, right where he left it the last time he visited. The glass that acted as a window into her pod was his enemy, blocking him from being able to reach out and touch her, but it also proved to him that she was there. She didn’t disappear, she was just...asleep. He sat with one hand on the glass, only partially relieved.

“Hey…” he whispered as though she could hear him, “I miss you, you know.” 

There wasn’t a response, of course. He wished there was, but he didn’t expect one. Still, he waited a moment before continuing.

“I  _ really _ fucking miss you. I want you back, so badly...not as a tool, either. Okay? I know I told you that, back in the simulation, but...just don’t forget. I don’t want a tool, I want…” 

Again he had to pause, wiping tears from his eye, “I want my childhood friend, my best friend. You know, you’re the last person on the planet that could possibly get me.”

Silence, once more, as he thought. There were so many things he hadn’t truly realized until she was gone, things he’d taken for granted because he always just assumed she would be there forever. 

“...I love you,” he finally admitted, knowing fully well that nobody could hear him, “I knew I liked you, but I didn’t realize how much I loved you until I thought it was too late. But if you don’t want me like that, if you don’t want me at all...I’m willing to keep my distance. I’ll leave you alone if you want. I’ll fuck off if you hate me for all the shit I made you do. I just want you to be alive again. Please, Peko...please just come back.”

Fuyuhiko fell quiet, crying softly as he sat beside her, wishing he could hold her hand. Finally he feels at ease, having her there with him, having gotten the chance to tell her how he felt. He leaned forward, resting against the pod, and after some time he was able to fall asleep.

* * *

The sun rose several hours later, and with it all the other survivors woke up. Hajime found Fuyuhiko, still asleep on Peko’s pod, and gently shook him awake. Despite his attempt, Fuyuhiko jumped upon being awoken, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey,” he grumbled, “Sorry, I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“It’s alright,” Hajime pulled a chair over, sitting on it backwards. He was silent for a moment, giving Fuyuhiko a chance to wake up more before continuing, “So...how bad was it?”

That earned him a glare, and though he wanted to say he didn’t know what Hajime was talking about, the fact that he had fallen asleep on Peko’s pod was confirmation enough. So instead of trying to play dumb or act tough, he sighed and looked down at Peko, watching her face as he spoke, “It started alright, ended really badly.”

“If you want, we can talk about it,” Hajime suggested, voice calm, “They say it’s good to talk, but it’s your choice.”

Fuyuhiko was quiet for a long moment, the silence stretching on so long that it almost seemed like he wasn’t going to say anything, and then he did.

“She was happy, even laughing. I should’ve known it was a dream then...she hasn’t laughed in over a fucking decade,” He said, bitterness seeping through at the end. He paused, and Hajime waited for him to continue, “Then she started acting weird. Called me...that title she used to use, insisted that she was a tool. Thought I was proud of her for killing Koizumi and that she made the right choice. It was just...all fucked up. And when I told her I didn’t want a tool she said she was gone, and then she just...disappeared.”

Hajime reached out, putting a hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder, “She isn’t gone, though. She’ll wake up, they all will.”

“Yeah, I  _ know, _ ” Fuyuhiko scowled, but he didn’t pull away from Hajime, “That’s what we have to believe, right? But it doesn’t make the nightmare any less fresh in my fucking mind.”

“...you’re right, I’m sorry. It really messed with your head, didn’t it?” 

“No fucking shit, I thought she was  _ gone. _ It was bad enough losing her once, I can’t deal with losing her again,” His eyes remained on Peko, one hand idly tracing circles over the glass that was keeping her safe. 

“And you thought she wanted to keep being your tool,” Hajime added, as gently as he could manage. Still, the simple word ‘tool’ made Fuyuhiko flinch. 

“It’s all she’s ever known...being used, being treated like an object,” his voice took on a tone that the other survivors were only vaguely familiar with; he was genuinely worried for Peko, and instead of hiding his fears behind snark, he just sounded...sad. Usually, Fuyuhiko tried to sound tough, as though nothing bothered him, but when it came to Peko all his attempts went out the window. 

“Before she…” Hajime paused, restarting his thought, “Early on in the simulation, Peko told me about her childhood friend. One she got lost in a mountain with, who got stuck in trees. She wanted me to help her learn to smile again because her not smiling really scared him, and the thing that got her to actually smile was the thought of him.”

“...She learned to smile?”

“Yeah, she did. For you,” Hajime chuckled, “I thought she was going to ask me out, at one point. Turned out she just wanted help with asking out her childhood friend. Once we left the island, her plan was to ask her childhood friend to go do something together.”

Fuyuhiko’s face softened, still watching Peko as he smiled. He was speechless, all he wanted to do was kiss her. 

“So...she may struggle with everything that happened, like we all are, but...I do think she’ll want to heal,” Hajime finished.

He nodded, still silent a long moment before he finally spoke, “I guess I’m just...afraid. You’re right, she’ll want to get better, and that’s what’s most important. I just...don’t want her to hate me once she discovers everything we did.”

“I don’t think she’ll hate you, she cares about you too much for that,” Hajime responded, “I can’t say for sure what will happen, but we know she’ll wake up and it’ll be alright. Until then, though, you should get some food. You need to take care of yourself so that when she does come back, you can fully be there to help her heal, okay?”

With a nod, Fuyuhiko slowly stood, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Great. The others are waiting at the restaurant, let’s go together?”

Fuyuhiko glanced down at Peko one last time, smiling at her, “I’ll be back, okay?” He told her, before turning to his friend, “Let’s go.”

Together, they left the room, going to meet up with the rest of their group.


End file.
